(UPDATE) KATHMANDU — More than 60 people were reported missing in Nepal after a landslide triggered by heavy rains swept two buses off a highway and into a river, authorities said.

Dozens of search and rescue personnel were combing the site for survivors of the accident in the central district of Chitwan, district official Khimananda Bhusal told AFP.

Bhusal said that the buses were carrying at least 66 people between them, but three passengers had been able to escape before they crashed into the waterway and were now being treated in the hospital.

"We are not sure of the total number because the buses could have picked up others on the road," he said.

"The river has swollen, and no one else has been found yet."

The accident took place along the Narayanghat-Mugling highway, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed sadness over the accident in a post on social media platform X.

"I direct all agencies of the government, including the home administration, to search for and effectively rescue the passengers," he said.

Deadly crashes are relatively common in the Himalayan nation because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

Road travel becomes deadlier during the monsoon season as rains trigger landslides and floods.